Video Transcript
What is a typical resting heart
rate of a healthy adult human? (A) 40 bpm, (B) 120 bpm, (C) 70
bpm, or (D) six bpm.
To answer this question, let’s go
over a few key facts about the heart and review some key terminology as we go.
As you may know, the heart is
responsible for pumping blood around the body, which supplies the organs with the
oxygen and nutrients they need. The heart must beat fast enough to
pump sufficient blood to the various cells of the body. The heart rate is measured by the
number of beats per minute. This is often simply represented as
bpm.
The heart rate is variable, which
means that it can change depending on several different factors. One of these factors is a person’s
state of activity. A person who is exercising has an
increased need for oxygen, so the heart will beat faster. In contrast, when a person is
standing still, sitting, or lying down, their heart will beat more slowly. This is called the resting heart
rate.
According to the American Heart
Association, the normal range for resting heart rate in human adults is 60 to 100
bpm. If a person’s resting heart rate
falls outside this range, this could mean they have a health problem that needs to
be investigated.
Now that we know the normal range,
we can see which of our answers would fall within it. Answers (A), 40 bpm, and (D), six
bpm, are both too slow. These would be considered
bradycardia, or slower than normal heart rate. Answer (B), 120 bpm, on the other
hand is too fast and would generally be considered tachycardia, or faster than the
normal heart rate. This means that we have found the
correct answer to this question. The correct answer displaying a
typical resting heart rate of a healthy adult human is (C), 70 bpm.
